


Popular

by escritoireazul



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-02-12
Updated: 2006-02-12
Packaged: 2017-11-14 12:05:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/515060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/escritoireazul/pseuds/escritoireazul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joyce doesn't know what to do with Buffy, but she sure understands Faith.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Popular

Sometimes Joyce doesn’t know what to do with Buffy.

It isn’t because she’s the Vampire Slayer, though there are difficulties with wrapping her mind around that, too, but she has always been a little confused, a little thrown off balance by Buffy.

When Joyce was in high school, and junior high, and elementary, she wasn’t popular. She wasn’t the golden child who smiled and laughed and wrapped people around her finger. Buffy made friends with everyone she met, even before she could walk, when strangers would stop to exclaim over her dimples or her blonde hair or her big grins, and she would giggle and coo, and later tell them sweet stories about her day.

Joyce didn’t understand how Buffy could be so approachable, but she was proud of her, thrilled by all the attention her baby girl received.

When Buffy became a cheerleader, and pranced around the house in her short skirts, waving pompoms in her father’s face, he wanted to hear her cheers and listened to her stories, and barely said a word to Joyce.

She felt awkward again then, like she still wore the wrong clothes, listened to the wrong music, and didn’t do anything right. She promised herself she wasn’t jealous of Buffy’s beauty and Buffy’s popularity and the way Buffy caught everyone’s eye when she bounced into the room.

Joyce does know Buffy isn’t all those things anymore, but she’s even more important now, she saves the world every night. It’s hard to believe there are vampires and demons, but it’s not difficult at all to understand everyone sees their salvation in her beautiful child.

She remembers what it’s like to not measure up, to feel unimportant and unloved, and she sees that in Faith when Faith looks at Buffy. It’s only noticeable once in awhile, most of the time Faith’s expressions are guarded and careful, but on the rare moments Joyce watches her crack, she wants to pull Faith to her, hug her tight, tell her she’s special too. Faith would be tense and would try to tug away, but really want it all the time, and the kisses, and just being there, with someone else who feels the same way.

She doesn’t want another daughter, she’s perfectly happy with Buffy, and proud, oh so proud, but she knows Faith, knows those feelings, that desperation to be accepted, the way the whole world can look so shiny and sparkly for everyone but you.

Joyce doesn’t always know what to do with Buffy, but despite the years between them and the differences, she knows exactly what she wants to do with Faith.


End file.
